Device for operating car-brakes.



IATENTED FEB. 7, 1905.

W. K SMITH. DEVICE FOR OPERATING UAR BRAKES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7,1904.

Patented February '7, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W'ILLIAM KlNG SMITH, OF \VERRIS CREEK. NEW SOUTH ALES, A USTRALI A.

DEVlCE FOR OPERATlNG CAR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,675, dated February 7, 1905;

Application filed Jul 7, 1904. geriai No. 215,829.

To all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM KING SMITH, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at W'erris Creek, in the State of New South ales, in the lommonwealth of Australia, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Operating Car-Brakes. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an appliance by means of which the air-brakes of a railway train can be independently applied by a signalman or other person.

It frequently occurs that locomotive-engine drivers are. on account of fogs or for other reasons, unable to see the signals and that trains are wrecked in consequence. Also in the case of washaways, wrecked bridges, landslips, or other sudden and unexpected interruption of the permanent way drivers, especially at night and in inclement weather occasionally fail to notice temporary dangersignals in time to save their trains. To provide for contingencies such as these, I have devised a mechanism by means of which the air-brakes of a train can be applied by a person stationed elsewhere than on the train.

The essential feature of my invention is an adjustable block which can be secured to the insides of the rails or to a sleeper, so arranged that it can be made to come into operative contact with a tap especially provided on an extension of the pipe of the engine air-brake.

To make my invention clear, I shall now refer to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front view of an engine with 'my brake-operating mechanism in position,

ancl'Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the operating-blocks in position between a pair of rails.

Referring to the drawings by the designatingi characters marked thereon, A A are the m1 s.

B B are apair of bed-plates fixed to a sleeper or to the inner sides of the rails.

C C are blocks adapted to slide in suitabie guides on the upper faces of the bed-plates B B. As a means for operating said blocks I preferably herein employ a lever D, fulcrumed at (Z, intermediate the rails A A, theend of the shorter arm of said lover being movablyconncctcd to one of the blocks by means ofa link i), a similar link 1] connecting the other block with the longer arm oi the lever at a l point between the fulcrum and end of said arm. The said end of the longer arm of the lever is connected to an operating hand-lever l), located beyond one of the rails by means of a. rod 1), and it is apparentthat by properly manipulating the said hand-lever the said blocks 0 G will be caused to move back and forth in their guides.

E is extension of pipe of train air-brake, carried down sufiiciently far to cause the barliandle F of the tap (.r to come into contact with the block C when the latter is in the operating position, as shown.

The method of operating my invention is as follows: here my mechanism is used as an extra safeguard against a train passing an ordinary danger-signal, its operating mechan ism would be connected with the signalmans lever-handle in such a way that when he raised the danger-signal he would by the same movement put the sliding blocks C G into the operative position. It is clear that a train cannot pass the mechanism when the parts are in the operative position, as shown, without the tap-handle F being turned backward and the tap thereby opened. To admit of the application of my invention to a single line on which trains have to run both ways and on which engines must sometimes run tender first, it will be necessary that the tap be made capable of turning only one way and that the downward extension of the air-pipe be hinged so as to permit of a downtrain running over an uptrain obstruction, and vice versa. When it is required to throw my mechanism out of operation, it is only necessary to pull the blocks C C inward into the positions shown in the dotted lines, Fig. 1, in which position the tap-handle F will clear the block C.

A very simple application of myinvention is a single block with suitable adjusting clamps or bolts, which a fettler could in a few minutes place in position to prevent a tram approaching a washaway or other obstruction on the track.

While I have herein shown a certain preferred embodiment of devices for the purpose named, it will be understood, of course, thatl am not limited thereto in precise detail, since immaterial changes therein may be resorted to coming within the scope of my invention.

It is apparent that by disconnecting either one of the links from its block the other block may be operated singly or independently.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I. claim is In devices of the character referred to, bedplates disposed alongside the rails of a railwaytr'.ick, blocks slidnhly supported by said bed-plates, and means for moving the blocks to operative position, comprising a lever fulernmed between the track-rails, links eonnecting the longer and shorter arms of said lever with the blocks, an operating hand-lever located beyond one of the rails, and it connecting-rod between the two levers.

Signed at Sydney, New South \Vales, this 20th day of hlay, A. I). 1904.

WILLIAM KING SMI'IH.

\Vi tnesses:

ORLANDO H. BAIHSH, Fimxcis KAniuoK. 

